This luxurious recipe for pasta with buttered tomato sauce makes the most of fresh veggies and herbs for a delectable summer supper!

Oh, this pasta and its luxurious tomato butter sauce! It’s the perfect dish to make when it is mid-summer and the basil and local tomatoes have us surrounded.
However! Due to the fact that cherry tomatoes mysteriously keep their delectably sweet tomato all year around, AND the fact that you can usually now find basil in your produce section at any time of year, it’s perfectly possible to have this deliciousness in, say, February.
As I write it is still summertime in my neck of the woods, and you know one of the ways I know this?
We went to see our beloved minor league team, the Durham Bulls play the Nashville Sounds last weekend and it was all kinds of HOT.
And while the Bulls didn’t get the win, I personally got a major win, because guess who was there?

Ripken the Bat Dog! Yep, as in a very good boy who jumps out of the dugout and brings back the bats that the Bulls drop after they hit the ball. MY HEART.
Anyway, it’s still steamy summer in these parts, but happily this recipe is speedy and delicious and totally doable 365 days per year. Let’s make it!
Ingredients Needed for this Buttery pasta!
- Olive Oil
- Cherry Tomatoes
- Garlic
- Short Pasta (Penne, Campanelle, etc)
- Butter (of course!)
- Cream
- Basil
- Salt and Pepper
Here’s how to make this Heavenly pasta with tomato Butter Sauce!
STEP 1: Heat a couple of tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté a cup and a half of halved cherry tomatoes along with a couple cloves of peeled and minced garlic until tomatoes just start to break down, about 5 minutes.
STEP 2: Meanwhile, cook 10 ounces of pasta in salted water according to package directions – you can use any kind, but we like short pasta like bowties or campanelle for this recipe because it works best with the chunky sauce. Drain the pasta and add to skillet with tomatoes.
STEP 3: Stir in 4 tablespoons of butter and a half cup of cream until the butter is melted and everything is heated through. Taste and season with salt and fresh ground pepper.
STEP 4: Remove from heat and toss with a half cup or so of chopped fresh basil. Ladle it into bowls, grind on some fresh pepper and serve it up!

more tips for making this speedy recipe!
You can! We love cherry tomatoes because they magically keep their tomato flavor even when tomato season is (sob!) over, but regular tomatoes will work just fine – just chop them into cherry tomato-sized chunks.
Yep! You can 3 tablespoons of butter and 1/3 cup of cream – it won’t be as dreamily creamy, but it will still be scrumptious!
Yes, with a couple of guidelines! Definitely use cherry tomatoes, which are flavorful all year round, and if you can’t find basil out of season in your supermarket, fresh thyme or oregano or even parsley will give it a nice herb flavor.
Pop your question in the comments below and I will answer pronto!
Hurray for pasta and butter and tomatoes…and dogs! Happy sigh.
Want to round out your meal? This recipe pairs well with...

Pasta with Buttered Tomato Sauce
- Author: Kate Morgan Jackson
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20
Total Time: 35 minutes
Yield: 4 1x
Category: Dinner
Method: Stovetop
Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This luxurious recipe for pasta with buttered tomato sauce makes the most of fresh veggies and herbs for a delectable summer supper!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 ½ cups cherry tomatoes, halved (or regular sized tomatoes, chopped into one inch pieces)
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 10 ounces short pasta (penne, campanelle, bowties, etc)
- 4 tablespoons butter
- ½ cup cream
- 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
- Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Sauté tomatoes and garlic until tomatoes just start to break down, about 5 minutes.
- Cook pasta in salted water according to package directions. Drain and add to skillet with tomatoes.
- Stir in butter and cream until the butter is melted and everything is heated through. Taste and season with salt and fresh ground pepper.
- Remove from heat and toss with basil. Serve, grinding a little more pepper on top if you like!
Notes
Need to add something to your kitchen equipment to make this recipe? Below are some of the items we used in the Framed Cooks kitchen to help cook this up. These are affiliate links to things we use and love, which helps to pay for all that bacon I keep buying (without any extra cost to you)! Thanks for using them to keep our kitchen cooking…xoxo!
OTHER BUTTERY PASTA RECIPES WE LOVE!
This easy recipe for ravioli with brown butter and sage is a great way to use those fresh summer herbs in a delicious pasta dinner. |
This easy pantry dinner recipe for pasta with buttered tomato clam sauce adds some seafood to this comfort food pasta supper. |
This easy recipe for brown butter pasta with egg mixes the rich, nutty taste of browned butter with creamy egg to make an out of this world sauce. |
I'D LOVE IT IF YOU WOULD RATE THIS RECIPE
(AND COMMENTS ARE WONDERFUL TOO!)